Rick Santorum had a message for social conservatives on Friday: “Quit being scared and start being activists and making things happen in America.”

Those were the words that came roaring out of the conservative firebrand’s mouth as he addressed a packed ballroom at a hotel in Washington for the annual Values Voter Summit. Mixing his speech with rage and optimism, the former Republican presidential candidate and senator from Pennsylvania rejected claims that the GOP must become more moderate to win elections. Read more

A case challenging Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage reached the U.S. Supreme Court Friday, marking the third marriage equality case now before the nation’s highest court.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, filed a petition for writ of certiorari calling on the Supreme Court to hear the case and answer the question it raises: “Whether Virginia violates the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses by denying the right of marriage to same-sex couples and by refusing to recognize same-sex marriages lawfully performed outside of Virginia.” Read more

During an event in Iowa Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul fielded a question harkening back to the 2004 presidential campaign: Is he in favor of amending the U.S. Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman?

“I’m in favor of the concept,” said Paul, a likely contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. “I am in favor of traditional marriage and really I think that’s been the foundation of civilization for thousands of years.” Read more

About

Justin Snow is Director of Executive Communications for the Human Rights Campaign and a former journalist and White House correspondent. Consider this website a collection of some of his greatest hits.